


An Emotional Coming Out

by iamatheatrekid



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: ...to each other, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Coming Out, Gay Stanley Uris, M/M, idontfrickenknowwhatelsetosay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 23:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20367112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamatheatrekid/pseuds/iamatheatrekid
Summary: On a nice fall day, Stanley and Richie are sitting together and decide that it's the best time to get a few things off their chests--those things being particular feelings they have towards their friends.





	An Emotional Coming Out

There were specks of white paint on Richie’s baggy and ripped jeans that came off of the Uris’ back deck. He sat on the steps, picking off the paint, and waiting for Stan to come back outside with drinks. He had lied and said that he was thirsty when Stan offered him a drink just to have a moment to think. The grass seemed so far below him and was resting in mud from the rain earlier that day. The porch was still moist but the boys always preferred to sit outside no matter what the weather. It was a nice escape from their lives, Richie’s always being loud and spinning around and Stan’s feeling like he’s pulling the world by a thin thread. A month into Sophomore year was already hard on the boys and they were too busy with school that it felt like they hadn’t had one of these moments together in a long time, sitting out in the sun and talking nonsense. 

Stan came out with two glasses, each with three ice cubes and equal amounts of apple juice, but Richie just put his directly onto the porch when it was handed to him, not desiring to take a sip. Stan copied this action, not very thirsty himself. The early fall weather was warm in the afternoon and this day was no exception. There was a chilly breeze that’d come every once in a while but both boys were perfectly comfortable in their short sleeved button ups and pants. 

They sat in silence for a while, although it was very fitting for the two. Stan of course loved silence and calmness and Richie really absorbed the quiet when he was around him. His world was loud and it was nice to quiet down every once in a while. Richie’s long legs were spread out underneath him and he sat in an odd position that only he could find comfortable: hunched over with an arm resting on the railing of the steps and the other picking at his jeans. Stan’s posture was perfect, per usual, but his legs were pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. He was uneasy, moving his hands around like he was nervous. And he kind of was.

Richie had always been Stan’s closest friend, he knew everything about him. He knew how his mind worked and all of his secrets. He’s seen him cry and laugh, he knows him. But he didn’t know everything about him. 

Richie had kept secrets, too. He was an open book for the most part but he kept some things to himself in order to keep his cool composure. His mind had just finally slowed down when he caught Stan’s eye. He turned his head and was meet with Stan’s brown eyes staring at him. At first Richie was confused. “What?” He asked him. 

It was as if Stan had been caught in a different world for this made him stop staring at Richie’s freckled face. He looked down at his hands. “I should tell you something.”  
Now Richie was even more concerned. He turned his entire body to face Stan, looking at the side of his face, a face he had memorized so intricately. The way his jaw clenched when he was frustrated, his tongue playing with his top lip when he was thinking. And this face was one that he hated: pure fear. His eyes were big and his mouth small. “What?” He asked.

Richie wondered if he should touch him. Put his hand on Stan’s tense shoulder that was now resting a lot higher than normal, or calm down his racing fingers. He knew that Stan liked being touched when scared. When nightmares woke him up he liked being held tight and when his heart starts racing, a nice arm around him calms his tears from coming. Looking back, though, Richie was glad he let Stan have his space in this moment. He never could’ve anticipated what came out of Stan’s mouth. What he was scared about. “I, um-,” he started. The sentence dropped and he froze for a minute. Richie stared at the side of his face harder.

“You know Bill?” Stan asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well,” he started again. “I kind of…like him.”

Richie felt like he fell over. His brain had fallen out of his head. He expected that his jaw flung open involuntarily. Stan expected that too and looked over to him with tears in his eyes. But Richie had softened. His scrunched up face calmed and his eyes filled. It was this face that Richie had that made him so attractive. “Oh, Stan,” Richie said. His hand started to reach for his friend, but didn’t go far. Stan ducked his head into his knees and sobbed. 

Richie gasped, he had fallen into a place he hated to be in: dealing with Stan crying. It wasn’t a burden, he didn’t hate it when Stan cried. It just broke his heart. Stan would get frustrated and so Richie cautiously put his arm around him, knowing he would either accept the hug or push him away before storming off. “It’s okay.” He rubbed Stan’s arm. It had goosebumps on it, the light hair standing up. 

Stan’s entire body was shaking and he wanted to scream. There was so much going through his mind, so much of Bill. He didn’t know why he was crying. He always got a little emotional thinking of Bill. He was so in love with him that it hurt. His heart trembled when he heard Bill’s strong voice. His heart was squeezed when he felt Bill’s skin against his own. His heart heated up when Bill looked his way. His heart ached when he saw Bill’s pressed lips flicker into a smile. 

Richie didn’t know that was why he was hurting. He thought that Stan hated himself, and he did. It was common knowledge to him that Stan pulled his hair out and had cuts on his knees. But he didn’t know what to do about it. And this was it, him breaking in Richie’s arms. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said it so many times and waited for a response from Stan each time. But he only heard muffled whines of pain and frustration. 

“I’m bi. I like guys, too.” Richie blurted out out of nervousness. One of his secrets. All to calm Stan down and help him. And he lifted his head.

His face was red and tear stained. His eyes puffy and barely opening. “It’s not because I’m gay, it’s-,” he started to say before he cried again, this time into Richie’s shoulder.

The glasses of apple juice were now wet on the outside as the ice cubes melted. They both had completely forgotten about it, the juice with three ice cubes sitting beside each of them, until Richie picked up Stan’s cup and handed it to him. Minutes had gone by and Stan had stopped crying, he was just breathing unevenly into Richie with silent tears falling from his eyes, so when he was handed this, he graciously accepted and got up to drink. Richie kept his arm around him and used his other to grab his own cup to drink some, a little cooling down moment.

The silence had returned. “You’re bi?” Stan asked.

Richie had forgotten he had even brought it up and his cheeks heated up. “Yeah.”

Stan smiled at him. “Eddie?”

Richie let out a rich laugh. “Yeah. Big Bill?”

The smile on Stan’s face disappeared and he looked back down. “Yeah.”

“You want to like, kiss him?”

“God yes.”


End file.
